The Same Roof
by HM Writer
Summary: Margaret's parents come to stay with her and Hawkeye for a while.
1. Chapter 1

It was cold in the house that morning. They turned the heat off the day before and opened up some windows to clear the air inside. After a long winter the fresh air was welcomed, but no one bothered to close the windows after it got dark. So it was natural to wake up and think first about warming each other up. Right after the first warm up they both fell back to sleep for a couple of hours.

Margaret opened her eyes and tried to focus on the clock sitting on the nightstand. Something was poking her in the back and she knew exactly what it was. She was pressed tightly against her husband. Finally the clock came into focus. It was already after ten o'clock. It was Sunday and they didn't have anywhere to be. There was really no sense in waking him up and she was comfortable wrapped in his embrace, except for one thing.

She pulled away slightly and tried to adjust to a more comfortable position, but he followed her. That was strange, usually when she did that he stayed right where he was and sometimes even rolled onto his back. Margaret turned in his is arms to face him. He was smiling, eyes still closed.

"Who knew that a year after being married you would still have the sex drive of a nineteen year old."

"I told you I would." He kissed her. "You didn't believe me."

She shook her head. "And you've made me the same way."

"That's all part of my master plan." Hawkeye threw the covers over their heads. "It's too cold out there." Underneath the big down comforter it was warm and cozy. The world was a much smaller place in their pocket of warmth.

"You have a master plan?"

"I've completed most of it."

"Why haven't I heard of this plan of yours?"

"It's a secret." He pushed her onto her back and lay between her legs.

She shook her head. He was something else. "Can you share the secret with me?"

He kissed her and then looked at her. "I guess I could tell you." He went back to kissing her and fondling her.

"Mmmm." After a few minutes she pushed his mouth away from her breast. "Tell me your plan."

"Later," he mumbled.

"Please, please, please."

Hawkeye whispered in her ear. She was grinning and squirming from the way his warm breath was tickling her neck. "Don't tell anyone."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Now can I ravish my wife?"

"By all means."

It was a few minutes later and they were both really into it. Hawkeye was grunting and groaning and Margaret was moaning and on the verge of screaming when the phone rang. He didn't stop, but she did. The telephone was right there on the nightstand and the ringing was very loud.

"Uh..Hawk…"

"No." He hated when they answer the phone during sex.

"I should answer it." Her words came out breathlessly. She pushed the covers down and reached for the phone to her right. He stayed on her. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" He whispered.

"Hi Mom. Oh, fine. Yeah I'm fine. I just ran up the stairs."

Hawkeye grinned. "Just tell her the truth. We were making made passionate love."

"Shh. Yes, he said hello." He began moving his hips and she clamped her legs around him. That didn't do anything. Margaret covered the phone with her hand. "Will you stop that!"

He gave one last thrust and then behaved himself. He waited as patiently as he could while half listening to the conversation. Eventually he got bored and his mouth once again zeroed on in her breasts.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye Mom." She hung up the phone.

"Thank God. I didn't think that woman was ever going to get off the phone."

"You could have gotten us caught."

"We can make love all we want. We have the license now." He kissed her lips. "What did she want?"

"I'll tell you after."

"Sounds fair."

After they were finished they laid together in a heap sweating and panting heavily. Margaret ended up on top by the end and was now lying on him with her face buried in his neck. When coherent thought crept back into his head he asked her again what her mother wanted.

"Oh, that."

"Yes, that." He was gently stroking her back.

She kept her face buried. "They're coming to stay with us next weekend."

Hawkeye froze. That couldn't be. He liked his in-laws well enough as long as they stayed at their home down in North Carolina. "What?"

"They'll be here Friday afternoon."

He just shook his head.


	2. Chapter 2

The house was warm when he walked in. The scent of dinner flooded through it and met him at the door. That was one nice thing about his mother-in-law; she always made sure there was a homemade dinner on the table by six o'clock.

When he walked into the kitchen he expected to see his in-laws in there, but it was only Margaret. She smiled at him and it grew larger when she saw he was holding a bouquet of flowers. "Are those for me or her?"

"These are for her." He laid them on the counter. "I have something else for you later."

"Oh, I'm sure." She knew exactly what he was referring to.

As soon as he walked in he noticed how flushed her cheeks were and when he leaned in to kiss her he felt the warmth from her skin. "Why is it so hot in here?"

"Mom and Dad were cold so I shut the windows and turned the heat back on."

"It was such a beautiful day though."

She shrugged. "They've lived in the south too long, and they're old."

"Ah yes." He nodded. "Let me guess, she could feel the cold in her bones as soon as she stepped off the plane."

"Close." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again. "What did you bring me?" She was sure he had flowers for her too.

"What did you get me?"

Margaret frowned. "Not even one flower? One little tiny carnation?"

"I'm sorry." He thought she wouldn't mind since they were for her mother. "I'll make it up to you."

"No, it's okay."

He would do it anyway. "Where are your parents?"

"They went upstairs about two hours ago to take a nap. They should be down any minute."

"That means you cooked the whole meal? You're kidding."

She pushed him away. "I know how to cook." She turned back to the stove.

"You do?" He teased.

"Ha ha."

He kissed the back of her neck. "I love when you cook." Most of the time he made it home before her and they either went out when she got home or he cooked.

"From here on I'm sure my mother will do the cooking and probably some baking."

"I'm okay with that."

"I know you are." One of the reasons her mother liked him was that he enjoyed her food so much. Hawkeye would try anything and even if he didn't like it he would eat it simply to please her.

"Do you need any help, baby?"

"I have it all under control, thank you though."

Hawkeye kissed her cheek. "I'll go change out of these clothes then."

He knew he had been only gone for a few minutes, but when he came back downstairs they were all sitting at the dining room table waiting for him. Alvin was sitting in his chair at the head of the table, again. The man knew exactly what he was doing and though Hawkeye could be very territorial he always let it go. Alvin could have the seat.

Instead of focusing on that he looked at his mother-in-law and smiled. "You're looking younger, Peggy."

"Don't you lie, young man." She stood up and hugged him. "Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

He kissed her on the cheek and then turned around. He shook Alvin's hand. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise," the older man said.

"Well, dig in."

Hawkeye sat down next to his wife. "Looks great, honey."

"Thank you." She kissed him. They both heard her father grunt and smiled before pulling away.

The dinner conversation went fairly smooth. Margaret hadn't had much of a chance to talk to her parents. In order for them to get to Maine by plane they had to switch flights twice and were very tired by the time they arrived. Her mother didn't even inspect the house yet and that was usually one of the first things she did.

"Was the bed comfortable enough for you, Dad?"

"It was fine, Margaret. I can sleep anywhere, you know that."

She nodded. "Mom?"

"Just fine dear, we fixed it up last time we were here." They went shopping one afternoon to make the bed just right for her mother. It cost a small fortune because they ended up redecorating the room too.

"Ben, do you always dress like that when you go to work?" Alvin refused to call him Hawkeye, it was always "Ben" or "Hey you", sometimes the occasional "Son" slipped out.

"If they let me I would."

Margaret looked at her father. "He changed his clothes when he came home. Hawkeye dresses very professionally." She pushed her chair back and picked up her and Hawkeye's plates. "Is anyone up for dessert now?"

"Maybe later. I'm stuffed."

"Later will be nice," her mother said. Hawkeye moved to start clearing the table. "Don't do that dear. Margaret and I will take care of this."

"It's really no problem."

"Its woman's work," Alvin said. "Why don't you fix me a drink and we'll look over your collection of books." It wasn't said as a suggestion.

Great… The man loved to go over everything they had in the den and then comment on the lack of good literature. Alvin always had something to say about his collection of writers from New England. Apparently Hawthorne was terrible and Frost was the farthest thing from even an average poet. Then there was the lack of books on wars and tactics. The dozens of books on history meant nothing, although most were filled with war.

Hawkeye nodded. "What do you want to drink?"

"Scotch. Double."

In the kitchen Margaret was trying to talk to her mother about why they decided to take a trip on such sort notice, but there was no answer. Her mother was a master at evading questions.

Peggy was loading the dishwasher. "I don't understand why you have one of these."

"What's wrong with it?" Margaret was washing the larger pans in the sink.

"What's so hard about washing dishes?"

"It isn't hard, Mother. Having a dishwasher is convenient."

"There, it's full. How do you work this thing?"

"I'll get it."

Peggy moved over to where the flowers were still lying on the counter. "It was very nice of him to get these for me. Your father doesn't bring me flowers. He only sent them if he was on assignment away from home, and even then it was only on my birthday, our anniversary, and sometimes Valentine's Day. He always had to have a reason."

"Hawkeye brings them home out of the blue sometimes."

"Is there a vase I can put these in?"

"Over there." Margaret pointed to the cabinet across the room. "On the bottom, in the back."

"It would be much easier if you kept them under the sink. You have to put water in them. It just makes better sense."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "I like them over there. I have cleaning products under my sink."

"You'll have to change that when you have children."

"We will."

Peggy was at the sink filling the vase with water. "When will that be anyway?"

She shook her head. "You'll be the first person we tell. Don't worry."

"You've been married a little over a year already. We were only married nine months when you were born."

"You were married seven months, and I was full term."

Her mother waved her hand and didn't say another word about it.

Hawkeye walked in ten minutes later. The two women were sitting at the kitchen table flipping through magazines. Margaret wanted to remodel the kitchen and her mother was more than happy to give her opinion on styles and colors. "Excuse me, Peggy. Can I steal my wife for just a minute?"

"Sure."

"Can I see you in the living room?"

Margaret pushed out her chair. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." He gave her a smile. He held her arm and guided her into the downstairs bathroom instead of the living room. There was more privacy in there.

"What's the matter?" She was puzzled by being dragged into the bathroom. Last time he did that he had to show her his penis. "You couldn't have gotten bites again. It's too early in the year for mosquitoes." They had gone camping and he had fallen asleep naked outside. He was covered in bites.

"It's not that." He shuddered just thinking about it. "Why are your parents here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your father is being nice to me. He just told me one of his favorite poems is "The Road Less Traveled." What's going on?"

Hmm… That was very odd. "Something is up. They were here only two months ago."

He remembered the trip well. "Yes, what is it?"

Margaret shook her head and shrugged. "That's why she wouldn't answer me. I don't know what it is, but they're here for a reason."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when she came in. Hawkeye always stripped naked when he was getting ready to go to bed and having guests in the house didn't deter him. There he was, naked in front of the mirror, door wide open.

"There are other people in this house besides your wife." Margaret shut the door when she stepped inside.

Hawkeye spit into the sink. "They don't come into our bedroom." He didn't think they ever once saw their room.

"That's beside the point." She began to strip down.

He shut the water off and turned to watch her. "Did you find out what they're doing here?"

"She kept evading the questions. Said they just wanted to come to visit."

"There's something fishy going on. They're up to something."

"I agree."

"I can smell it."

Margaret kissed him. "My own little hound dog." She grabbed her nightgown off the back of the door.

"Did you hear him compliment me?"

"Maybe he was being nice." They both looked at each other and shook their heads. "Whatever it is they want _you_ in a good mood." They weren't really treating her any differently.

"I don't like it."

"I know." She picked up her toothbrush. "I don't even know how long they're staying."

"Wonderful. Did they have a lot of luggage?"

"Uh huh."

"How much?"

She shrugged.

"You don't think they're sick, do you?"

She shook her head. She would have known about that right away. Every time her parents had an ailment they phoned and used her as a messenger to get to her doctor husband without having to actually talk to him.

He didn't like not knowing what was going on. "Maybe they'll tell us at lunch." They had plans to eat at one of the hotel restaurants on the ocean. It was only open from April to November and was a great place to eat. Her parents loved the place.

She spit into the sink. "Maybe."

"It doesn't bother you?"

Again she shrugged. She was used to her parents keeping things hidden. "A little I guess." When she was finished with her teeth she shut the water off and turned to face him. "Let's go to bed."

He nodded. "Breakfast at eight like always?"

"That's what she said."

X X X X X X X

Hawkeye decided to go for a run before they left for lunch. Sometimes it was less stressful getting grilled by Alvin than being treated nicely. Nice wasn't normal and not normal didn't feel safe.

Running alone the edge of the water was freeing. It would have been nice if Margaret had come, but being alone was pleasant. The air was very cool and the sun was beating down on his face. It felt absolutely wonderful.

As he was walking across the back yard he could see his wife on the porch swing. She was holding what he was sure was a cup of tea. No one was around, just her, and that's the way he liked it. She stood up and when he got onto the porch. He loved how she always smiled every time she saw him. "Did you have a nice run?"

"I did." He was covered in sweat and ocean spray, but he couldn't help the urge he had to take her into his arms. He held her close and kissed her.

When she felt his tongue it surprised her, but not enough to pull away. She almost dropped the mug she had in her hand, but quickly recovered. "What was that for?"

"I just love you." He kissed her again. "Wanna shower with me?"

She nodded. Hawkeye took her hand and they walked into the kitchen. Her mother was standing there mixing ingredients for a cake. "Hey you two, we have to leave for lunch in an hour."

"We're going to start getting ready right now." Margaret sat the cup down on the counter as they passed through.

"How long will you be?" Peggy called.

"An hour." Hawkeye called back to her. Her parents didn't need entertaining; they could take care of themselves for a bit.

Margaret raced him up the stairs and to their bedroom. Hawkeye caught her just before she made it to the bed and they tumbled onto the mattress. The door was wide open but neither seemed to notice. Hawkeye's hands roamed over her body. He slid his hand under her shirt and over her chest. It was when he rolled between her legs that she realized the door was open. At first it didn't register and she moved her hand between them to push his sweatpants down some. They lived alone and could do what they wanted when they wanted in any room in their home. It was hearing her father's voice that made her push her husband off her.

"Peggy, where are my reading glasses?"

"On the bedside table. You left them there this morning."

"Are you busy?"

"You'll have to get up and get them, dear." There was bitterness in her voice. She hated when her husband wanted her to go out of her way to get something for him just because he was too lazy to do it himself.

Hawkeye jumped up and shut the door then grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom. They'd have more privacy in there and it had been a while since they had that much fun in the shower.

With the water going it was almost impossible for anyone to hear what was going on in there. She hoped her parents didn't hear her scream when he pushed into her or again when orgasm took over her body. She doubted anyone would be able to hear the banging that went on against the shower wall or the loud moans Hawkeye let out.

Margaret sighed contently as she watched him. He was standing there with a small towel wrapped around his waist trying to shave in the fogged up bathroom mirror. Hawkeye saw her step out and turned to look at her. "Need a towel?"

"Sure."

He walked over and wrapped the towel around her and pulled her close. "How do you feel?"

"Very relaxed." If her parents weren't there she'd crawl into bed with him and nap the afternoon away. "How do you feel?"

"Incredible." Being with Margaret was never anything less.

She knew if she stayed in the same room with him much longer they'd get lost in each other again. She pulled herself away from him and went to dress in the bedroom while he finished.

X X X X X

"What took you so long?" Peggy was holding out Margaret's coat for her. "We're going to be late."

"It's a ten minute drive, Mom. We'll be fine."

"I wanted to sit next to those windows."

"We will," Hawkeye assured her. "That's why I made reservations and requested that."

"I don't understand. It doesn't take an hour to shower and get dressed." She walked through the door Hawkeye held open for everyone.

Margaret smiled at her husband. "I just took my time."

Hawkeye kissed her as she walked by him. "Oh Lord." They heard her mother groan. She just figured out what happened.

X X X X X

After they were seated for lunch and Peggy was finished oohing and awing over the view they were able to take a look at their menus. Margaret had been dying for lobster and Hawkeye was always eager to eat it. They knew what they wanted right away. Alvin looked over it and decided on the steak and lobster. Peggy could never decide what she wanted and waited until the waiter was there ready to take their orders before she finally settled on the same meal she ordered every time they ate there.

"This place is just gorgeous. I never knew Maine was so beautiful." In the year since her daughter had been married and lived in Maine they visited four times already, excluding the two weeks she spent there before the wedding.

"It's one of the reasons we love it so much." Hawkeye smiled at her and took a sip of his water. Any nice comments about his hometown made him feel proud.

Alvin flagged the waiter down and ordered a scotch. He was the only one drinking that afternoon, but he had a drink with every meal except breakfast. "Ben, how's your father doing?"

"He's doing well."

"He's got a girlfriend now," Margaret smiled. Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "His son doesn't like it much, but I think she's a lovely woman." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "She's been good for Dan."

"I'd like to meet her. Do you think they'd like to come for dinner tomorrow night?" Peggy always made large meals on Sunday evenings.

"I can ask."

"How long are you two staying this trip? I don't think Margaret told me." Hawkeye knew full well that she didn't know either.

Peggy smiled. "Oh, just a few days. We'll be back in a few weeks."

"You will?"

She nodded. "That's the plan."

Margaret and Hawkeye shared a look. "A few weeks, Mom?"

"We hope."

Something was missing. "So soon?" Margaret didn't want to make it sound like they weren't welcome. "Is there a reason?"

"Well…" She looked at her husband. Now was the perfect time to tell them. "We've been talking…"

"Your mother and I decided to move to Maine."

Hawkeye nearly choked on his water. An ice cube slid down his throat and he coughed it back up. They all looked at him and he held his hand up. "I'm okay."

"You're moving here?"

Peggy nodded. "Our family is here. We both want to be around our grandchildren when they come. It would be nice to see them grow up and I miss my daughter too."

Hawkeye pushed his chair out. "Excuse me. I need to…" He didn't finish what he was saying. He didn't have anything to finish with.

"Where are you going?" Margaret knew how he felt about her parents. They were fine in small doses and that was it.

"I just…" He held a hand to his throat to remind them of his choking episode. "I need some air."

"Let me come with you." She was by his side and took his hand. "Excuse us."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He had been suspicious from the moment he heard they were coming to visit, but not once did the idea of them moving to his hometown ever cross his mind. It was just too horrible to imagine. He needed air and somewhere he could shed tears without looking like a fool.

Margaret guided him out the door and to the side of the building. He was acting peculiar and she was beginning to think he really hurt himself when he choked. "Honey, are you okay?"

'No I am not okay', was what he really wanted to say, but they were her parents and he didn't want to make her mad. "Yeah, I'm just surprised."

"To say the least." She hadn't expected to hear that either. Not once had her parents given any indication that they would consider living in Maine.

He took a moment to compose himself. Hawkeye wasn't known for his patience, sure he was better than Margaret when it came to it, but he was no saint. He could fly off the handle with the best of them but now wasn't the time, and Margaret wasn't the person he wanted it directed at. After a few moments he looked at her. "Did you tell them?"

"Tell them what?"

He looked around. The town was small and loved a good piece of news. "You know what about." His eyes lowered to her abdomen.

It took a minute for it to sink in. "No! We agreed."

"I know, but she said…"

"I haven't told a soul. Just you."

And he hadn't said a word, no matter how much he wanted to. The news couldn't have leaked, and Peggy would have been sure to tell the world if she found out. "Then I don't understand." Why would they want to move all the way up to Maine?

"She said she wanted to be around family and we're family, Hawk." Margaret was surprised at the announcement, but it wasn't the worst news. For a moment she entertained the idea that having her parents close would be nice and she definitely wanted her mother around after the baby came. As long as they didn't live in the same house then it wouldn't be that bad.

"This isn't exactly the place older people go to retire. It's cold up here and we have terrible winters. As it stands right now they're chilled and it's April."

"Are you going to try to convince them to stay? A thousand miles away from their only child who will soon give them a…you know." Saying 'grandchild' would turn some ears their way.

At that moment he knew she wanted her parents to move. She was happy about it. He wasn't about to spoil it for her. "No honey, I'm just… it really caught me off guard."

"I know, it did me too. But look on the bright side, it's not like they're moving into our house. They'll find their own and my father likes to keep to himself. He won't be in your way."

He nodded. Her mother didn't exactly like to keep to herself, but that was better left unsaid. "So we go back in?"

"Your shrimp cocktail is probably waiting for you."

"Aren't you going to share it with me?" He opened the door for her.

Margaret shrugged. "It doesn't sound very appetizing."

"But you love it."

"Not today. I'll just steal some of the fried mushrooms my father ordered."

Margaret took her seat and there was already a small plate in front of her with the mushrooms on it. She looked across the table at her father. "I knew you'd want some."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Are you okay, dear?"

Hawkeye nodded. "Yeah I'm fine." He dipped a shrimp into the cocktail sauce. "So you're moving. When did you decide to do this?"

"Peggy wanted to be closer." That was all he was going to say.

"Have you started looking, Mom?"

"We just arrived yesterday. We've been with you all this time."

"I didn't know if you've been in contact with a realtor."

She shook her head. "We were hoping you would be able to help us. I know Hawkeye knows practically everyone in this town."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I can give you the name of someone." He stabbed his fork into one of the mushrooms on his wife's plate and brought it to his mouth. "He'll treat you fairly."

"Good. Now Margaret, are you working Monday?"

"No." She took some time off so she could be with her parents.

"Then you'll be able to go look at houses with us?"

Margaret nodded. "Sure."

"You're more than welcome to come along too, Hawkeye."

"Oh thank you, but I have four surgeries scheduled for this Monday."

"That sounds like an awful lot. Are you sure you can handle that?"

Hawkeye's jaw clenched. He'd been pushed to the brink and knew exactly what he could handle. Anything he encountered working in America was nothing compared to what he did in Korea. "I'll be just fine."

XXXXXX

Hawkeye leaned back in his chair and sighed contently. He just ate the most delicious chocolate cake he ever tasted in his life. "That was wonderful, Peggy."

"Thank you, honey."

"I mean it. I don't think I've ever had anything like that. Could you teach your daughter how to bake like that?"

Margaret kicked his leg under the table. "You hush."

"I tried, Lord knows I tried, but she was never good at cooking."

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry, but you weren't."

"That's okay." Hawkeye leaned over and kissed her. "I like how you cook."

"Thank you, baby." She kissed him again. "Mmmm." He still tasted like chocolate.

Alvin walked into the room and saw them. "Knock it off, you two." He handed his wife his plate. "Will you cut another piece for me?"

"You don't need another." Peggy put his plate in the sink. "The doctor told you, you have to lose twenty pounds."

"Doctors have no idea what they're talking about. They say the same thing to everyone, 'Eat less and exercise more'. I'm healthy enough."

"It wouldn't hurt you to listen to your doctor, Dad."

"I don't think you're one to talk, Margaret. I've never seen you eat so much in my life."

She didn't miss a beat. "Married women are allowed to gain a few pounds." She moved from her chair and slid onto her husband's lap. "Right?"

"Right." Hawkeye fed her his last bite of cake. "I think you're perfect."

Alvin groaned. "You two… I'm going to watch some television."

"What's with him?"

Peggy rolled her eyes. "I'm going to leave these dishes for later."

"I'll get them. You don't have to worry about them."

"I want to go to the early Mass tomorrow. I think I'll turn in now."

"Okay. Goodnight Peggy."

She kissed him on the head and then did the same to Margaret. "Goodnight you two."

"Goodnight Mom." Margaret smiled at her husband. "We're finally alone."

"This isn't exactly alone. Alone would be just you and I in the house."

They were alone in the room and that was good enough for the moment. She leaned in and began kissing him. It was tempting to move so she could straddle him, but thought better of it at the moment. She could hear the TV blaring from the den. Her father had terrible hearing. Daniel once compared him to a hunting dog that loses her hearing after years in the field with gunshots going off right behind her. Alvin didn't find it funny, but the rest of them certainly did.

The day was supposed to be filled with rain and passing storms. Those were the best mornings to sleep in, but she couldn't do that for some reason. Margaret lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up to use the bathroom. When she came back into the bedroom she could hear noise coming from down the hall. In her opinion it was too early to get out of bed on a Sunday, but her parents didn't share that idea with her. It wasn't long ago that she would have agreed with them but being married now she was beginning to adopt some of her husband's habits. Sleeping in on Sundays was one of the better ones.

She was almost tempted to open the door and see if they were okay, but she quickly thought better of that. Instead she crawled back into the nice warm bed with her husband. Hawkeye wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Sometimes he did it in his sleep, but this time he was awake.

Margaret turned to face him. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Unless you're the one making all that racket down the hall, it wasn't you." He kept his eyes close. He didn't want them to adjust to anything except the darkness of looking at the back of his eyelids.

"Just be glad he's not cooking breakfast. My father isn't a quiet man in the mornings."

"Funny, he's snuck up on me plenty of times."

She smiled. "Well I'm sure he meant to do that." Margaret snuggled into his chest. "You feel cold."

Hawkeye grinned. "Want to warm me up?"

"At six o'clock in the morning?" He couldn't possibly be that easily aroused.

"I'm pressed against my wife's warm naked body. What do you think?"

She was wrong. She should have known. "I think we have all morning to sleep in, so why not have a little predawn fun."

He opened his eyes at that. "I think I'll wake up early everyday to catch you in this mood."

She arched an eyebrow. "Since when do you have to catch me in the right mood to make love?" Before they were married she wasn't innocent by any means, but she never found love making to be as powerful as it was with him. It was terribly addicting.

Their talking turned into whispering and soon grunts and groans were thrown into the mix. It took him a half an hour before he settle between her legs and even then they didn't do anything except kissing and a little light groping.

Down the hall her parents were getting ready to go to the seven o'clock Mass at the church Daniel attended. They went every time they visited and found they liked a lot of the people they met.

"Where's my tie?"

"It's on the dresser." Peggy finished putting her earrings in. "How does this look?"

"Good." Alvin didn't bother to look; it was just an automatic response.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to see if the kids are ready."

"I don't think they're going."

"Of course they are."

"Margaret didn't mention it."

Peggy waved her hand in dismissal and headed down the hall to her daughter's room. She knocked lightly on the door and slowly opened it. She was three steps into the room before she saw what was happening on the bed. The covers were moving up and down in a steady rhythm and the bed was shaking. The moment she heard her daughter let out a deep groan she froze. Then she screamed.

Hawkeye stopped moving and pushed the covers down so he could look over his shoulder. "Christ!"

Margaret couldn't see from where she was. "What's wrong?" She craned her neck to look around him and saw her mother's back. "Oh God."

"I'm so sorry." The door shut behind her and she stood there for a moment, traumatized. Knowing her daughter had sex was completely different from seeing it.

"Shit!" Margaret pushed him off and grabbed her robe. Quickly she wrapped it around her body and opened the bedroom door. Her mother was headed down the stairs. "Mom, wait."

"I'm sorry honey, I thought you were sleeping. I never thought…" Peggy did her best not to look her daughter in the eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just…" Peggy looked at her hands. "I was just going to see if you wanted to come with us. It's okay. We'll be back later. We're going to brunch after the services."

"Maybe next time."

"Sure." She turned around walked down the stairs. She was absolutely horrified.

Margaret passed her father in the hallway. He had no idea what happened, he didn't even hear the scream. "Morning Daddy."

"Good morning kid. Skipping church?"

"Yeah."

"I don't blame you. Get some sleep, you look like hell."

"Thank you," Margaret mumbled on her way back to the bedroom. She shut the door and looked for a lock, but discovered that there wasn't one. "How can we not have a lock?"

"We usually don't need doors, let alone locks."

"We're going to put one on this door."

"They're leaving soon." Hawkeye wasn't one for home improvements or repairs. He preferred to pay someone else to come and do it all.

Margaret tossed her robe to the side and climbed back into bed. "We might want to lock our door when our child is a little older."

He smiled and placed his hand on her stomach. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to traumatize the poor kid. But I think we have a while yet."

They both lay in bed for a few minutes not saying a word. It wasn't until they heard the front door shut and a car start up that they looked at each other. Margaret grinned and rolled on top of him. "Ready?" He just smiled and followed her lead.


	5. Chapter 5

Hawkeye placed his cup of coffee on the table and sat down next to his wife handing her some toast. "You should eat this."

"I don't want to." She pushed it back toward him.

"It'll do you some good."

She glanced at him with an arched eyebrow. "I think I know what it will do." After he nodded she folded her arms across the table and laid her head down on top, groaning.

Hawkeye rubbed her back and kissed her head as he stood up. The tea pot was whistling. "Are you going to be okay riding around all day with your parents?"

"Yes." It came out mumbled but he understood. He knew the answer without asking anyway.

After pouring the tea and fixing it the way she liked he brought it back over to her. "Here baby, try this."

"Thank you." She picked her head up and tried to give him a small smile but her facial muscles didn't seem to be working well.

He sat down and sipped his coffee while watching her. They thought she was finished with the morning sickness but when she woke up that morning they were shown just how wrong they were. She was in the bathroom for the better part of an hour before she made her way downstairs just to collapse in the kitchen chair.

Hawkeye grabbed a piece of her toast and bit into it. "Maybe I should stay home today."

"I'll be okay."

With her pale skin, blood shot eyes, and hair all over the place she wasn't very convincing, but he knew better than to argue with her. He'd just call the hospital in the other room. "Come on, let's go upstairs and get you back to bed."

Her head was pounding from throwing up a little earlier so she didn't even nod. Hawkeye picked up her cup of tea and put his arm around her leading her back to their bedroom. "I don't want them to find out this way."

"They won't. I'll play sick with you."

"We should tell them tonight and your father too."

"That sounds good." He opened their bedroom door and steered her toward her side of the bed but she had another idea and headed toward his side. Hawkeye sat the cup on the nightstand and pulled the covers back for her.

When she noticed he was looking at her questioningly she spoke. "It makes me feel better when you're here."

He was definitely calling in now. Seeing her so sick always made him feel helpless. All he wanted to do was take care of her but nothing he did seemed to do the trick. "I'll be right back." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Before she closed her eyes she looked over at the clock. "You have to get going or you're going to be late."

"No, I'm not going in." She opened her mouth to respond but he beat her to it. "Don't argue with me. Just rest." He was out of the room before she could say anything.

&&&&&&

It was nine o'clock when Hawkeye unwrapped his arms from his wife and snuck out of bed. He could hear his mother-in-law banging around in the kitchen and was surprised that she waited so long to make breakfast.

"Good morning."

Peg didn't even turn around. She was still embarrassed from what happened the previous morning. "Morning, hon. I thought you would be at the hospital by now with all those surgeries." When she finally did look at him she noticed his appearance. "You can't go in all wrinkled like that. Don't you have any pressed clothes?"

"I have someone covering for me today. Margaret doesn't feel well; I was lying down with her."

"Oh. What's wrong with her?"

"Stomach bug I think." He pulled out a clean cup and poured himself some more coffee.

"Is she asleep?"

"Yes. She won't eat breakfast so you don't need to make a lot."

"Are you hungry?"

"I had something earlier, but thank you. What time are you meeting with the realtor?"

"At ten. Do you think she's up to going?"

"I'll ask her." Hawkeye kissed her on the cheek on his way out of the room. "Don't be nervous around us."

"I'm not," she lied.

&&&&&&&

The water was running upstairs when he returned to their bedroom. He knew she liked privacy when she wasn't feeling well so he didn't bother her. Instead he began to strip and change into something a little more comfortable and a lot less wrinkled. Jeans would do just fine he decided. He pulled on a black polo and combed his hair back with his hand. Looking in the mirror he gave himself a little nod and then proceeded to the bathroom door now that the water was off.

"Can I come in?" He was already opening the door.

Margaret was just wrapping a towel around her body. "Hey, where did you go?"

Hawkeye grinned widely at her. He could clearly see the changes taking place in her body already. "Just grabbed another cup of coffee. I thought you were still sound asleep."

"I don't sleep well alone." She picked up her tooth brush. "What's with the smile?"

"Nothing." He was standing behind her now and wrapped his arms around her waist. Placing a kiss on her neck he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"A lot better." She started to brush her teeth all the while he kept his arms around her and his chin on her shoulder. She loved feeling him so close; he made her feel safe and loved. Rinsing her toothbrush she placed it back on the counter and turned her face to look at him. "I'm glad you stayed home."

"Mmm." He kissed her lips quickly. "Me too."

Without turning around she reached back with her hand and pulled his head in for another kiss. "You taste like coffee. I miss coffee."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Your mom is downstairs making breakfast."

She let out a groan. "I'm not eating anything right now."

"I told her already." His hand began to drift into the opening of her towel. When he felt the skin of her stomach he stopped and kept his hand there. "I can't wait until we can feel him move." She was about to open her mouth but he quickly spoke again. "Or her."

"Me too." She placed her hand over his. "I should get ready." Hawkeye kissed her cheek and then released her.

&&&&&&&

The day had been long to say the least. They were dragged around from house to house all afternoon, and her parents were no closer to finding a home than they were the day before. Margaret was glad her husband took the day off, if for no other reason than just to have him around to lighten the mood. Normally a day with her parents was enough to make her want to jump off a cliff, but today was different.

They were sitting on a large window sill in the family room of the sixth house of the day waiting for her mother to get done critiquing the place. She was probably complaining about the tile in the upstairs bathroom. "The ceilings are nice," Hawkeye noted.

Margaret tilted her head up to look. "A ceiling is a ceiling."

"Does that mean a wall is a wall?"

"No, it just applies to ceilings. Don't even try to get out of painting that room. I want that disgusting wallpaper gone by the time my child is born."

Hawkeye held up a hand. "I'm not trying to get out of it. We're hiring someone."

She glanced over at him. "Oh? This is news to me."

He placed his hand around her waist and pulled her so they were hip to hip. "You don't need to be around any fumes, and I am not the greatest handyman. We'll take that day and shop for furniture to fill that room."

She smiled and nodded. "We need everything, don't we?"

"First baby."

Contently she laid her head on his shoulder. "Only baby you mean."

Hawkeye placed a kiss on her head. "Whatever you say, darling." The first time she realized she was having morning sickness and not the flu she decided this was their only child. Of course that changed when she was feeling good and when she saw siblings playing together.

Their eyes moved to the doorway that led into the room from the kitchen. Her mother's voice was coming through loud and clear conveying everything she didn't like about the house.

"Makes me wonder how they ever found a house to buy in their lives," Hawkeye mumbled. He stood to his feet as his in-laws came into the room. "Ready to go to the next one, Peg?"

"Yes, let's go. Margaret, are you feeling okay?"

"Fine, why?" She asked as she grabbed her purse and stood up.

"Just checking."

Margaret gave her husband a questioning look and he shrugged his shoulders as he reached for her hand. All day long Peg had been asking her daughter how she felt, and then naming off symptoms asking if she felt any of those.

&&&&&&

Alvin Houlihan sat in the large chair in the guest room looking over some pictures and details of the houses they just looked through. His glasses hung near the tip of his nose and his cigar hung out of his right hand as close to the open window as he could get it.

The bedroom door opened and in walked his wife. "What are you doing?"

"Looking over houses."

"I mean the cigar. If your daughter finds out that..." She tried to reach for it, but he was too fast.

"What did you think of that house down by the ocean? The one with the pool."

"I don't know."

Alvin continued going over the homes knowing that he was going to have to be the one to narrow down the houses if they ever wished to move before the next snowfall... seven months away.

Peg settled down on the edge of the bed staring out of the window. "When do you think they're going to tell us?"

"Dunno."

"Why haven't they told us yet? It's so obvious."

"You'll have to ask your daughter."

"She's your daughter too." Peg slapped his knee gently. "I'm her mother, why wouldn't she tell me? The moment she found out she should have rushed to the phone to tell me."

"Peg, Margaret isn't you. She does things differently, always as. I'm sure she'll tell us soon."

Heaving a heavy sigh she stood up and grabbed the laundry basket. "I guess so. I can see it in her body you know."

"I know you can."

"I'm her mother; I just don't understand why she hasn't said a word. We've been here for four days now."

"Ask her, I don't have any answers for you."

Rolling her eyes she left the room. She spotted her daughter walking out of bathroom. "Honey?"

"Hmm?" Margaret smiled.

"Is everything okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom. Why wouldn't it be?"

Nothing irritated Peg more than when her daughter openly rolled her eyes at her. Her jaw clenched and she let out a breath. "Your father's smoking. Go stop him."

"In the house?"

"In the bedroom." Peg continued on her way down the hall to the stairs. She heard her daughter spit and sputter and only grinned.

Margaret threw open the door to the guest bedroom and stalked over to her father. She ripped the cigar out of his hand; put it out in the ashtray he had next time, and then tossed it out the window. "You can finish it out there."

As she turned to leave he called to her. "Hey Margaret?"

"What?" She snapped.

"Your mother knows."

"I know, she was the one that told me you were smoking in here."

Figures. "I'm not talking about that. She knows about the baby, and she's hurt you haven't said anything to her."

She was shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. She's known for three days now."

Margaret sat down on the bed, hands in her lap. "How? No one but Hawk and I know."

"Hell if I know." He sat her papers in his lap and looked at her. "Then it's true that I'm going to be a grandpa?"

She nodded with a bright smile. "You're not supposed to know yet. We were going to tell you tonight along with Hawkeye's father." After a moment she placed her hand on his arm. "Are you excited?"

He tugged on her arm and pulled her over until she was sitting on the arm of his chair. Wrapping his arm around her he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Did you have any doubt I wouldn't be?"

"Well... no. But the baby will be a Pierce."

He waved his hand in dismissal. "He's got Houlihan blood running through his veins. He's as much a Houlihan as you or I."

"So when he's screaming at the top of his lungs because he didn't get what he wanted, I can blame it on the Houlihan temper?"

"Absolutely not. Anything this kid does that's irritating will come from his father."

Margaret laughed and kissed her father on the cheek. "Okay, that sounds fair to me." She stood to her feet. "Don't tell anyone we had this conversation. My husband will be pissed if he ever found out that my parents knew before his father."

"You were never here."

She was about to leave the room but turned to remind him of something. "Oh, I was here alright, and if I ever catch you smoking in my house again you'll be sleeping on the porch swing." That said she was out the door.

"You're just like your mother," Alvin mumbled.

&&&&&&

Margaret found her mother on the porch swing sipping a cup of coffee. She was staring out at the ocean with a hurt look on her face. Margaret was sure she would see unshed tears if she was closer.

Peg looked up startled when she heard the porch creak. She gave her daughter a quick smile before she went back to staring at the crashing waves. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you." It had been two hours since she saw her mother in the hallway upstairs. Dinner was finishing cooking and all of the men were in the den talking and sipping cocktails.

"Oh yeah? What do you want with me?"

Margaret sat down next to her mother and picked up her hand. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Need help with the pie?"

"No." She slid closer to her mother and laid her head on her shoulder. It wasn't often that she was affectionate, much to her mother's dismay. Margaret had always been more like her father when it came to emotions, unless it was anger or frustration.

Peg sighed. "You're happy?"

"Yeah, happier than I ever thought possible."

"Good." She patted her daughter's leg.

After a few moments of silence she spoke again. "There's something I want to tell you."

Peg felt her heart beat speed up. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Hawkeye and I…we were…our plan was to tell you all tonight, but I want you to know first." Margaret sat up so she could see her mother's face. "Hawk doesn't know I'm telling you, so please don't say anything." A bright smile came across her face. This was the first time she was going to talk about their baby with someone other than Hawkeye or her doctor. "I'm pregnant; you're going to finally be a grandma."

Peg smiled, tears coming to her eyes. "Finally is right!" She enveloped her daughter in a big hug. "Oh God, I'm so happy. I knew you were pregnant, I knew it."

"How'd you know?"

"A mother knows her daughter. You'll see." They pulled apart, still smiling. "When?"

"October."

Peg couldn't stop smiling. "If we weren't planning on moving here already, this would have made that decision for us."

"Yeah, I thought it would."

"How do you feel? We need to go shopping for everything. You need some bigger clothes, you need everything for a baby. Tomorrow we'll go."

She smiled and patted her mother's hand. "Thank you, but Hawkeye and I are holding off on that for a little. We'd like to get the nursery done first, and do a little shopping together."

"Oh, right. Well we can go later, right?"

"Of course. It's been killing me to stay away from baby stuff lately. News travels fast in this town and if anyone had seen either one of us so much as glancing at a baby blanket…"

"I understand. Well let's get in there and tell everyone. I'm going to burst if I can't celebrate."

Margaret smiled. "Just remember that you don't know yet, okay? My husband would kill me."

"I highly doubt that, but I won't say a word."

"Good, but you're going to have to stop smiling before you go back in there." Margaret stood up. "Dinner will be on the table in five minutes."

"I'll be right in. Give me a minute to get myself together." Peg had waited a long time to become a grandmother, she couldn't hide her excitement that easily and she knew she wouldn't be able to do so for long. "You'll tell everyone before we eat, won't you?"

"Yes." The back door shut behind Margaret with a squeak. She was surprised to see Hawkeye standing there in front of her. "Oh, hi."

"Hi." He looked her up and down. She had a goofy smirk on her face and tried to push past him. He grabbed her arms and stopped her, making her look at him. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Help me get dinner on the table, please?" She kissed him and pushed past him.

Hawkeye looked out the back door and then back to his wife. Peg was sitting out there with a giant smile on her face, wiping tears from her eyes. "You told her, didn't you?"

"What? No."

"You're such a terrible liar."

She didn't know what to say so she busied herself getting the food ready to be taken to the dining room table. "Can you cut this roast?"

He stood at the counter with the knife doing as she asked. "I'm surprised you held out for this long actually."

"I didn't te…"

The look he gave her told her she wasn't getting out of this one. "I'm sorry. I know we agreed." She didn't want to tell him that both of her parents knew. Technically she didn't tell them, they just knew.

"Honey its okay." What she didn't know was that a week ago he had let it slip while fishing with his father.

Margaret abandoned what she was doing and gave him a hug. "You're not mad at me?"

"No. I just wish I had been there when you told her."

"I'm sorry." She gave him a gentle kiss. "Next time."

He just grinned and shook his head. It was only hours ago that she wanted nothing to do with a second child. "Next time I get to shout it from the rooftops the minute I find out."

As soon as everyone was seated Hawkeye made the announcement about the baby. Just as expected everyone was elated. Hawkeye didn't figure out that both Alvin and Peggy knew about the baby before hand, and Margaret didn't figure out that Hawkeye had told Daniel either. They both decided what the other didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

&&&&&&&&&

When they pulled into their driveway Alvin was sitting on the front porch smoking and reading the paper. "You should talk to him about quitting," Margaret said to her husband. "He doesn't listen to me."

Hawkeye looked at her like she lost her mind. "What makes you think he would listen to me?"

"You could try." She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

He rolled his eyes before he got out of the car. "When are they headed home?"

"I'm bringing them to the airport tomorrow afternoon. Pop the trunk."

He reached into the car and did as she said. "If they're leaving so soon why did we get all of this food? We can't eat it before it rots." The trunk was filled with paper bags full of food.

"Well my mother is staying a few extra days and you know how she likes to cook."

That was the first time he heard anything about that. Slowly he turned his head to look at her as they stood at the trunk. "Why?"

"After she found out about the baby she wanted to stay for a few days to see if I need help with anything."

"You're fine." He said with certainty. "Did you tell her she could go home?"

"No."

"No?" He knew he had to step carefully when it came to issues about her family. "But you're fine. What could you possibly need help with?"

She eyed him for a moment before she spoke. It had been a week since her parents first came to stay with them and she knew Hawkeye's patience with them was wearing thin. He liked his privacy and he loved coming home to Margaret and only Margaret. "I think she just wants me to need her right now."

"I can take care of anything you need. What do you need?"

"I don't need anything yet." She gathered some bags into her arms. "My mother needs to be needed."

Hawkeye growled lowly. "I love her, but you and I haven't been alone for a week. I was hoping we could spend this weekend alone. Larry is ready to paint Saturday." It was just supposed to be the two of them looking for things for their baby. He didn't want anyone else around.

She blew a loose piece of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can't just kick her out of the house."

He followed behind her with his arms full of bags. Alvin stood up and looked directly at Hawkeye. "She shouldn't be caring that."

"I'm fine, Dad." Margaret said on her way through the door.

"What are you thinking? She shouldn't have to lift a thing and she's caring three bags."

Hawkeye wanted to haul off and punch him. So she was caring some bags, they couldn't weigh anymore than her purse. He made sure she only picked up the lightest bags. "Would you mind moving from the door? Your smoke is going into my house."

In the kitchen he sat the bags down on the counter and turned around to go back outside. He didn't say a word to anyone. After he brought the rest of the things in he pulled Margaret aside and told her he was going to head over to his father's. He needed some space and a place to cool off. He was close to blowing his top from frustration.

Peggy was okay, he didn't mind her presence so much, but ever since they told Alvin about the baby he had been on Hawkeye's case about everything. The way he drove was too dangerous, he didn't cater to his wife enough, he needed to start acting more adult. Nothing was good enough; it was worse than when they first married. Margaret seemed to be taking it all in stride, much to his surprise and dislike. She kept reminding him that they were their guests and they would be leaving soon. Soon wasn't soon enough. He couldn't stand living in the same house as his in-laws.


End file.
